


Breathless

by Adeline_Hatter



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Conversations, Everybody Loves Veth Collection, F/F, Jester has a crush on Veth, Jester is panicking and Veth is there, Kissing, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25514809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adeline_Hatter/pseuds/Adeline_Hatter
Summary: After a moment of panic, Jester grounds herself by doing the only thing she can think of in the moment.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Nott | Veth Brenatto
Kudos: 26
Collections: Everybody Loves Revetha





	Breathless

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Winterling42 for Beta reading!!

The wind blows through the crow’s nest and ruffles her hair, it is supposed to feel cold but all Jester can feel is the winding tension that links itself through her shoulders and into her throat.

But she’s fine, she’s fine.

Even though the Traveller—Artagan—isn’t getting back to her about anything, she’s fine.

Even though they’ve just sailed away from peace negotiations that, while seeming peaceful, are probably going to go to shit because there is a second beacon, she’s fine.

Her breath is short and her chest is tight but she is fine—

“Jester?” The voice is soft, tentative and caring as she whips to face the speaker a little too quickly. “Are you alright?” Veth continues and Jester watches her lift herself over the edge into the nest.

She blinks at Veth, she smiles wide and shoves down the weight in her chest even though it feels like she’s the one who swallowed an orb— “I’m good, what are you doing up here, Veth? I thought you’d be staying with the cannons?”

“It was getting a bit stuffy so I thought a break would be nice.” Veth slides down to sit next to Jester, pressing their shoulders together and leaning back. The point of contact makes Jester’s chest seize a little more as she nods. “You?”

She pauses, the pressure in her chest getting tighter, throat more full, “I just wanted to get some air, maybe draw something for the Traveller, update him on our status.”

Veth is watching the sky, but Jester watches her twist her lips as concern paints across her face, “How are you dealing with that?”

“With what?”

“With how the Traveller—handsome as he is—isn’t a god?” Jester curses Veth’s bluntness a little bit in this moment, she always gets straight to the point with it all.

She smiles wider, “It’s fine, I’m glad he told me.” Her chest seizes again and her voice almost comes out a little strained, “But he is handsome isn’t he? Now that I’ve seen his whole face it’s—”

“You aren’t fine are you Jester?”

“I am, I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be fine? Veth? I’m me, I’m always fine, always—” Her throat chokes her, she chokes on the word and she can feel the tears in her eyes, “—Fine, I’m okay, really.”

But it’s harder to breathe now, Veth’s head is turning towards her and she’s crying and the world sounds muffled, she doesn’t—

Hands, small and delicate, softly cradle her face and Jester finds herself looking into Veth’s eyes, soft-hearted, warm. And she briefly wonders if there are stars encased in them, she looks at Veth’s lips that are moving, shaping words that Jester cannot hear over the pounding of her ears.

Veth’s fingertips are so soft, there’s a lack of claws and Jester finds herself being hit with a pang of longing for them, then she remembers that this is who Veth wanted to be all along and—Jester needs a shock, she needs to ground herself and Veth…

Jester leans forwards before she really thinks about it, it’s selfish and terrible but—

_Soft_

She’s grounded in a second, soft lips that are a bit chapped, that are frozen for a moment but as she goes to pull away relax and lean into her and—

_Oh._

Veth pulls away first, blinking, “Better?” she asks, and Jester felt her lips buzz at the low tone, breathless but not like the panic that Jester is receding slowly now.

“Sorry…” she whispers it, Veth shrugs. “I shouldn’t have—”

Thumbs rub over her cheeks. “Jessie, it’s okay.”

“No it’s not, I kissed you and I did it without asking you first and—”

“Jester,” her tone shifts, Veth smiles. “It’s okay.”

And Jester, feeling utterly foolish in doing so, believes her.

Her lips tingle, it’s different from when Fjord pressed their mouths together for air it feels… Real, and patient, and this was what all the books she’d read over the years meant when they said kissing was nice.

“Besides, it wasn’t a bad kiss, I liked it.” Veth continues, her hands abandoning Jester’s face and falling back into her lap. Jester’s heart skips a beat and she feels like choking again but for a completely different reason.

She stares a little too long, “You… Did?” Veth’s eyes really did have stars in them didn’t they?

“Practice makes perfect, but yeah.” She shrugs, her eyes sweeping over Jester again. Jester blinks, licking her lips and has to be imagining that Veth tracks the movement, she has to— “What was up?”

Jester pauses, “Up? What was—oh, I was…panicking a little bit.” It slips out before she can stop it and Veth nods once. “It’s just…”

“Stressful, you are allowed to be stressed Jessie—” Veth licks her lips. Jester absolutely doesn’t track the movement. “We all are.”

She was so calm, how was she so calm. “I’m not stressed!”

“Really?” Veth’s eyebrows raise and Jester can see her previous face in the expression, so familiar, and it puts a flutter in her belly, “Have you talked to the Traveller recently?”

Jester presses her lips together, “He…hasn’t exactly been picking up.”

“Well, that’s men for you.” Veth grins and Jester laughs, tension leaving her more now. The grin widers at the sound of her laughter. “You are allowed to hate him a little bit too, if you want.”

She considers it. “I couldn’t really hate him, he’s my best friend—”

“I’m offended.” Veth presses a hand to her heart, “I thought we were best friends!”

Jester rolls her eyes, “You can have more than one best friend, Nott—” She stops, catching her tongue and looks at Veth with wide eyes, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind it.” The words come with an honesty that sounds right and true. Veth sits up straighter as she turns to face Jester again. “Call me whatever you want Jester, anything at all.”

Jester bites her lip. “Okay.”

Veth stands up slowly. “Do you want to know the real reason I’m hiding up here?” she asks, and Jester nods. “I may have hidden a load of fish in the Captain’s quarters, but I’m gonna put some more all over the ship if you want to help—”

“Yes.” It slips out and Jester stands up quickly, jostling Veth but she is quick to catch her, “Sorry, you alright?”

She watches Veth bite her bottom lip, righting herself. “I’m fine. So, what should we go with for this kind of fish? Then should we hide them with magic or—” Veth starts to climb down and there’s a presence over Jester’s shoulder, so she looks.

Red hair tumbles down and is being blown in the wind majestically, as Artagan looks over Veth’s descent, “Sorry I haven’t been answering, Jester, my dear, but you seem to be in good hands here.”

Jester looks at him and at the space Veth had been. “I suppose I am.”

“She’s impressively chaotic that one, I’m very interested in her.” He pauses, tilting his head before returning his grin to her, big and wide, friendly but a little manic too. “Though don’t worry, you are my favourite.”

Her veins sing a little at that. “I could convince Veth to join us, I think she’d be willing to become your follower.”

“Her? I wouldn’t mind that.” His eyes seem to calculate it. “Now, my favourite, please go, she’s waiting for you and those dicks won’t draw themselves.”

When she turns to look at the way down, then back at the space where he’d been she finds thin air, she presses her lips together, thinking about the kiss and she stares at where Veth is going.

“Jester?” Veth calls up to her and her heart beats a little faster.

 _Oh_ her heart goes. “Coming, Veth!”

She would deal with this later… Like everything else.


End file.
